Gum has been chewed for centuries."The most common ancient chewing gum was tree resin lumps, but people chewed various sweet grasses, leaves, grains and waxes also. Chewing gum has been used in various forms and flavors. The ancient Greeks chewed Mastiche; the ancient Mayans chewed the coagulated sap of the Sapodilla tree; North American Indians chewed the sap from spruce trees…"Betcha didn't know that!
From a colourful attractive dispenser to the sticky nuisance.
So there you have it....I have to apologize up front.. for a blog response that turned into a chapter! 1800 words.
But it took all of that …………….. to defend myself…
IT ALL BEGAN WITH AN ADDITION TO THE LIST OF NURSURY RHYMES I LEARNED AS A CHILD…
A gum chewing girl and a cud chewing cow….”There’s a difference I’ll allow “
It’s the intelligent look …….. on the face of the cow…
When I was a little girl This was the little rhyme that my paternal grandmother said to me.
Was I at just the right impressionable age.. I don’t know .. but I do know that I had seen for myself the look of the cow . and never forgot the poem . I didn’t understand the twist of the idea of intelligent look..meaning the girl would look even less intelligent ( no offense to the bovine community ) . To me I just thought I didn’t want to look like the cows mouth when it was ‘cud chewing’..
This was enough for me to say no thank you to gum tho’ I believe it was rarely offered in the culture of my small world. Probably as I would be surrounded by people of the same generation and attitude as Grandma. I don’t believe there would have been much challenge to me …
Never the less, when I was a young teen, this negativity to gum was reinforced … It was encased in a theory that it could be used to identify one as an American.
1. We were a city, on an Island that was a great attraction to tourists. In the summer it was men in flamboyant colorful Bermuda shorts… seen in town whenever a ship from the U S docked in our inner harbour..Canadian men (and Brits) could be found wearing knee length shorts also ……. but in khaki color. And not worn in the percentages of the U S men….( to be fair, those visitors were on ‘ vacation (a U S word as we use Holiday, a word that is not nearly as accurate as the U S word. Just one more difference between “Americans and “Canadians” our words and our spelling). Canadians are a little sensitive to the adage we often hear from south of the border ‘Canadians are just Americans in the north and in a colder climate “ We don’t think we are.
Back to topic Gum…..
2. And more pointly , Americans could be identified by gum chewing.
A) This would be seen of course in the above Bermuda shorts clad men.
B) It was also seen when there would be school exchanges with students.. In class, they would be miffed that gum was not allowed in our schools… consequences would be detention and essay writing .
C) My city , Victoria, was listed on the circuit that qualified parade marchers and marching bands. As a result every 24th of May parade day we had bands arrive from US cities, ‘Never fail to have them come from cities in Washington, Oregon and northern California… We would see them parade by us .. a host of gum chewers marching in perfect precision except for their mouths… and lovely girls in beautiful gowns or swimsuits on floats spoiling their sweet smiles with the cud chewing look.
Then, When I was a young woman, the emphasis from the Dental community was emphatic that the added risk to tooth decay was to be blamed in large part to gum chewing.. Was it the grinding of the sugar into our teeth.. or was it the constant entry of sugar in the mouth as new sticks of gum were used by chain gum chewers I never knew….. This revelation impressed both consumers and manufacturers.. The advent of sugarless gum burst forth to meet the demands of more conscientious chewers.. and advertised enthusiastically so as not to lose a market..
When I was a young bride , and moved to the US and saw the prevalence of gum chewing it was so noticeable around me from my ‘sheltered child and youth hood” that I found it shocking… then in time it became commonplace, then almost acceptable to the point that I decided to try to be a gum chewer… I emphasize the word ‘try’. I found it to be ‘work’… my mouth was in constant motion while still trying to keep from looking like my lifelong vision of ‘that cow’. I became physically tired with all the jawing… It just wasn’t for me..
I watched when there would be a television ‘interviews’ and the interviewee talked between chews and when they would slip the gum aside.. they’d need to come up for air (so to speak) but the interviewers were always non chewers… as were news anchors and commentators.. or those hired to be in the public eye… I assumed that their companies and institutions were as my school days.. with the ‘no gum allowed’ rules…
Then the days came when I was a young mum. With small children and me in charge of the family purse and the grocery cart….gum wasn’t an issue.. However, I soon lost control when birthday parties of friends gave ‘gum’ as treats .. Then additional gum in favour bags (see as mentioned above, we spell favour not favor ). Kindergarten teachers would use the dispensing of gum on special occasion .. and ! ! as rewards and bribes ! ! !
I shudder when my memories of my childhood clashed with the reality with my own children’s’ culture…
However, when in Rome…………….. I eventually succumbed to the losing battle. and lifted my internal ban and that on the children.
UNTIL
A series of events
1. I became not only frustrated but intolerant with gum being stuck to pillows and blankets… but when it was ground into hair I found that even more annoying. !
2. When we were out visiting and the children were enjoying play with the cat of an older lady, and gum ( she had given the boys!) ended up in the fur of said cat.. The little ‘responsible’ boys gave their best efforts to trying to remove it … Inside the house ..older lady and I , heard a couple of dreadful cat squeals. We ran out to the deck in time to see the boys trying to contain an unwilling feline, making every squalling effort to escape having her fur being pulled by unskilled and desperate hands..
3. It was just a week or so later , after another birthday party favour bag…that I found myself in the laundry room taking clothes from the dryer… I love doing laundry but it was dreadful task that day… Gum had been in the dryer and latched itself around buttons ! and worst of all , in the hot metal zippers!!!
That was the last straw.. or the last stick ! ! My voice lost more than Gum Control… with decibels high and face intense with eyes like moons and eyebrows arched like the arc de triumph . my words went out thru the halls of the house..
“THERE WILL BE NO MORE GUM IN THIS HOUSE UNTIL YOU ARE 8 “.
That was the end of gum . Somehow, the children knew not to issue requests .. and knew to say no thank you when offered, to check the favour bags or school treats and remove them to give to others… The age of 8 just came out without thought. It could have been 18 ! or 28 ! but 8 is what came up and out .
I don’t recall having to reiterate the rule over the next few years.. in any strong measure. My loud announcement must have penetrated the genes o f even the later children to come… or perhaps there was an underground warning system as siblings were about to reach of supposed ‘gum age’.
While these above children were still little , we moved back to Canada , and away from the gum worries.. or so I thot until the one day I was in the bedroom of a later child , a seven year old s dresser drawers.. I rarely had needed to put laundry away for her . as the children all delivered their own folded items from the laundry area.. however, This day, at the back of the drawer, I found a cache o f gum… This turned out to be a 4 year collection ! Why was it collected and why was it there ? It represented many party favours, and Halloween treats that she obediently tucked away… A law abiding girls dream of the day that she would turn 8. I wonder how she envisioned that day, would it be of her delight with a mouth full of mighty stale sticks of gum…
Her dream wasn’t to be shattered.. An older brother advocated for her and in a little meeting wherein I had to stifle my smile and chuckle while expressing admiration for her adherence to the family culture…Older brother negotiated a compromise…
Would the gum patrol mum agree to the ' jeune fille' having permission in this last year before the ban would be lifted, for her , upon turning 8, to chew gum once a month… How could I refuse,? especially after stipulating that it was to be done on the first day of the month.. only… If she missed that day…. another month would be the wait… AND the gum was to be chewed in private..so as not to be ‘flaunting ‘ in front of the younger and still limited children..
Agreement reached ! Outcome…? This young lady was diligent with the first of the month for the first few months ……………… and then the novelty wore off. I’m sure sitting in isolation with the sole purpose to ‘chew’ would not be the thrill she had dreamed it to be.
General outcome for the rest of the children for the rest of the years….? ? All now are adults.. and I’ve never seen any of them ‘chew”. Not even when the eight year requirement came to be removed… Those first 8 years must have squelched the desire or at the least … not instilled a habit..
How it effected their lives and psyche …. I never asked.. I can no longer hide behind ‘the long ago curtain…
However , NOW.. Nova has put the question on the floor and opened it up for discussion…
We will be hearing from all 8 children and all 8 experiences….she has broadcast an invitation to all to send to her their memories and experiences.
MY QUESTIONS
1. Grandma ( 1885)?.. has your little poem and vision carried down unto the fourth generation ?
A gum chewing girl and a cud chewing, there’s a difference I’ll allow, It’s the intelligent look on the face of the cow.. How many of your more than 75 decedents have heard this mantra.?
2. Am I about to learn of clandestine gum chewing? during those nearly 40 years, from first child born in 1962 till the launching of the last in 1998 ! or to learn of their years of resulting trauma or deprival syndromes?
3. Am I about to be pleased with the results my mothering and child raising…? or will I be putting myself to pen and paper to extend apologies.
While I wait fo r the results of the polling,, please pass me a stick of GUM to see if will calm my nerves….…
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